1. Field
Example embodiments relate to defect imaging apparatuses for imaging defects, defect detection systems having the same, and/or methods of inspecting defects using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Defect positions on a semiconductor substrate such as a water are detected by an optical inspection apparatus and defect images corresponding to the defect positions are obtained by a defect imaging apparatus. The defect image usually shows the shape and characteristics of the corresponding defect. Thus, the operator may identify defects on the wafer based on the defect image.
To obtain accurate defect images, the beam irradiator of the defect imaging apparatus needs to be aligned to the defect position detected by the optical inspection apparatus. Thus, coordinate conversion between the defect imaging apparatus and the inspection apparatus may be desired before the operation of the defect imaging apparatus together with correction of equipment errors considering operation errors and instrumental errors of the inspection apparatus and the defect imaging apparatus.
In a conventional defect imaging process, the wafer has been manually searched over and a reference defect having a sufficient size for the error correction has been selected by an operator for the coordinate conversion and the error correction. Then, the manually-detected central position of the reference defect is compared with an inspected central position of the same reference defect detected by the inspection apparatus. The imaging operator usually obtains the equipment errors just by calculating the difference between the manually-detected central position and the inspected central position of the reference defect.
However, the manual detection of the central position of the reference defect usually takes relatively long time, which results in considerable efficiency reduction of the manufacturing process for semiconductor devices. Further, recent technical trends towards a smaller size and a finer pattern in semiconductor devices make it more challenging to find a reference defect having a size appropriate for the manual search. Therefore, correction of the equipment errors and coordinate conversion between the inspection apparatus and the defect imaging apparatus take longer times.
For example, when a number of the inspection apparatuses and a number of the defect imaging apparatuses are desired for an efficiency of the defect detection, a setup time for the imaging error correction and coordinate conversion may considerably increase, thereby significantly reducing manufacturing efficiency of the semiconductor devices.